18 Ways to Protect an Empty House

Houses are big investments but sometimes as we buy and sell them, one remains empty. Maybe we have to move away before it is sold, or maybe it's some investment property that needs work before it's rented out. If you're a homeowner who has an empty house, a Realtor with an empty listing, or an investor waiting to rent out a place, these tips are for you.

1. Always keep garage doors closed and locked. Add additional padlocks if necessary.
2. Close the blinds unless it's being shown. Don't give potential bad guys a chance to scope out the place.
3. Put the mail on hold or forward it. You can also make weekly stops to pick it up, which gives you a chance to look over the property.
4. Change the locks each time a contractor changes, Realtors change, etc.
5. Supress signs unless it's up for sale or rent. If you're an investor, don't put up signs while the contractors are doing work. Wait until it is ready. Signs just advertise nobody is home.
6. Use Realtor locks. The electronic ones keep logs of who open them so you know who the last person to open the house was.
7. Monitor news and reports of burglaries. Check your local police force's website, too. Some of them keep pages that shows the types and frequencies of property crimes.
8. Befriend the neighbors. If you've owned the house this is already done. If you're a Realtor or investor, though, this is a good chance to ring up new clients as well as help protect your property. Hand them a business card and ask them to call if anything suspicious is happening.
9. Verify insurance. Make sure the insurance covers empty houses.
10. Light timers. They just aren't for Christmas any more.
11. Give neighbors permission to park there.
12. Put up "Beware of Dog" signs. Would-be thieves hate noise because it attracts attention. If there's a chance of a dog to make noise, they may move on to easier targets.
13. Security signs and window signs. Like a dog sign, this places a little doubt in the robber's mind.
14. Dog barking devices, fake cameras or real cameras. A little more high tech than the signs, dog barking devices and fake cameras add a little realism to the illusion. Get a tech-savvy friend to help you set up a real webcam outside the door or inside the house and stream the feed. This will require a computer and internet connection at the empty house, though.
15. Winterize the pipes. You don't want pipes to freeze and get water all through the house. That's a mess. Winterizing the pipes is a lot cheaper than cleaning up a soaking house.
16. Keep up on the landscaping and external maintenance. Nothing screams nobody's home like unattended landscaping.
17. Shrubs should never block the view of doors and windows. It's way easy for someone to hide in the bushes. You can remove shrubs blocking the windows and doors and add some nicer landscaping. This also increases the curb appeal of the house.
18. Run the water once in a while. If it isn't winterized, at least. Exercise the shut-off valves in the basement if you can find them.

Do you have any other ideas or tricks you've used to protect an empty house? Comment below and let us know!